Zamaya
by youdeservebetter
Summary: Zig Novak and Campbell Saunders have been best friends since childhood. However, Cam has recently discovered that he's had a long lost sister. Not only that, she's moving in with him! (A Zampbell friendship and a Zaya romance)
1. The Bet

**Background story: Zig Novak and Campbell Saunders have been best friends since childhood. Although Cam was a year older than Zig and neither boy had any common interests, the two were close. They were always those pairs of friends who never really made sense but destiny brought them together. **

Zig was waiting at his neighborhood's basketball court for Cam to show up. He liked sports but not enough to actually join a team or show enough enthusiasm for it. Even though they didn't have many common hobbies, both of them were willing to try out the other's interest. Last week, Zig had taken Cam snowboarding so this week was Cam's turn to pick out what they should do.

"Hey Z!" yelled Cam as he was half-jogging to the basketball court. "Sorry I'm late today. Family stuff."

Zig looked up from his shoelaces that he was so intensely examining. "Are you sure that's not just an excuse in you chickening out today? Prepared to be creamed, Saunders," he said as he snatched the ball from Cam's hands and went to shoot in the hoop. He missed, of course.

"Well not like that you won't," he responded pointing out Zig's failed attempt. "That's the way it's done." He said as he grabbed the ball on the rebound and made a 2-pointer shot. "Let's make things interesting."

Zig rolled his eyes as Cam made the shot. "Interesting? How?" he questioned raising an eyebrow.

"Half court shots. We'll each make an attempt at scoring a net at half court. Whoever scores in the least amount of throws, wins."

"And where do things gets interesting?" Zig interrupted.

"Hold on, I'm not done yet!" Cam replied. "For every extra shot needed to be taken by the loser, he has to pay a dollar."

"Deal!" Zig said as he put his hand out for Cam to shake it.

"And don't think I'm going to go easy on you, Novak. It's an all-fair game," Cam replied shaking his hand.

Zig and Cam took turns shooting from half court, both miserably missing until…

"Yes! Haha!" Zig exclaimed. "I think that was shot 25 so if you don't make this shot…get your wallet ready, buddy."

Cam was shocked that Zig made it in before he did. "That's just beginner's luck. Just you wait and see." He focused on getting the ball in the net. Knees bended, arms winding up, he shot at the net. The ball circled the rim before falling out on the side. "Dammit!" he yelled as Zig went to quickly retrieve the ball.

"Alright so that's one dollar," Zig said as he passed the ball to Cam.

Cam kept shooting and missing. _29 dollars _Zig tauntingly said as the shots were getting more and more.

"Finally!" Cam exclaimed, "Shot 93!"

"According to my calculations," Zig teasingly said, "that's 67 dollars! Alright, pay up, Saunders. And no holding back!" he said extending his hand out.

"Yeah yeah," Cam said rolling his eyes. "Here's your money, you jerk."

"Don't be angry, it was your idea after all." Zig said as he took the money went to go sit on the park bench to cool down.

Cam walked over to his side and sat along with him. "Just you wait til next time, I'll demolish you!"

"We'll see about that, C." Zig laughingly said. "Well it's getting dark so unless you wanna play another round and lose some more money, I'd suggest we head home."

"Haha funny!" he said mockingly at Zig. "You were just lucky that my mind was preoccupied today," he replied looking back down at his shoes.

"Look," Zig turned to face Cam, "I know guys aren't supposed to get all feel-y or whatever but if you wanna talk about what happened with your family, I'm all ears."

Cam looked at Zig but shifted his glance to the sun setting in front of them. "Well, I just found out that I have a long lost sibling."

"Whoa, what?! You mean I get to cream another Saunders?" Zig jokingly replied.

"No! Well…maybe, she's my sister."

"She's a she?!" he asked. "How did you find out? And why doesn't she live with you guys?"

Cam was getting annoyed rather at all the questioning but he was trying to understand. If Zig had revealed information like this he would've asked a million questions too. Plus, he never had to mention it, he wanted to.

"Basically, when my parents divorced, my dad gained full custody of me and I guess my mom never mentioned to him she was pregnant. So both of them went their separate ways but recently they've been rekindling their relationship and so my mom told him about his daughter."

"Whoa, I'd be pretty pissed at your mom if I was your dad."

"Believe me, he was but I guess he just really wants to be in his daughter's life and so we're all meeting tonight and it's going to be so awkward and ugh, I don't really care to see this girl who apparently is my sister. Everything's going so well right now, I just feel like this would ruin things."

"I see what you mean but who knows, having a sister could be fun? And it couldn't ruin things because it would mean you'd get your mom back and I'm sure she's missed having you in her life so she'll probably smother you with gifts and stuff," Zig replied trying to lighten the mood. It was only him, his mom, and his 8-year-old brother at the Novak household so he always looked at Cam's dad as his own. The fact that Cam's family was slowly rebuilding gave Zig some hope that maybe one day he would have a real family as well.

"Yeah, I guess. I just don't know how to talk to her. It's just gonna be too awkward, I feel," Cam replied sighing as he looked down at his shoes again before looking back at Zig smiling. "Unless…"

Zig looked back at him, confused at first but then realizing what Cam had in mind. "I know what you're thinking and no! No way, cheesy! Not happening. I know I always saw your fathers as being my father too but joining this, just no."

"Oh please, Zig! Listen, since she and my mom are officially moving in, she'll be attending school with us. And she's in the same grade as you so she'll more than likely be in most of your classes and it would be awkward to not interact with her. Just help your friend out, please? Give me some credit, I gave you $67 after all," Cam said clasping his hands together in attempt at begging him to come.

Zig saw Cam's point and it was true, it would be awkward to not interact with her, considering how often he visited the Saunders household. "Fine…just let me go home and shower and I'll meet you there," he replied, rolling his eyes. "What time do I attend this hell party?"

"7 and don't be late, Novak, I'm counting on you!" Cam replied as he was half-jogging away.


	2. The Dinner

Zig was standing outside the Saunders residence. He wasn't particularly nervous about meeting this girl; he was always smooth, you could say, when it came to girls. He rang the doorbell to which Cam immediately opened the door.

"Oh thank God!" Cam said pulling Zig in, "They're not here yet…What the hell are you wearing?" he asked looking at Zig's attire. He wasn't dressed badly or wrong, Cam was just particularly nervous and just needed to perfect everything.

"I don't know, I just found it in my closet and whatever, I'm not even supposed to be here," he scowled back at Cam.

"I don't know what you're talking about, son, I think Zig looks appropriately dressed for the occasion," Cam's dad replied.

Cam ignored their comments as the doorbell rang. "Alright, whatever, let's just get this over with."

His dad went over to go open the door. "Shirleen, come in! You look fantastic." He gave her a kiss, letting her inside. "And this must be my beautiful daughter."

After her mother walked in, there she was. The most stunning girl Zig had ever laid his eyes on. Her blues sparkly eyes, her long blonde wavy hair, it all over-whelmed him. He was dazed and Cam seemed to be the only one to notice.

"Hi, I'm Maya," the petite blond girl put out her hand for him to shake, "nice to meet you!"

Cam casually slipped out his hand for her to shake. "Hi, I'm Cam and this guy here," he said as he casually shook Zig "is my best friend, Zig Novak."

As Cam shook Zig, he came back to his senses. "Hi!" he cracked his voice out and immediately looked down in embarrassment before seeing her facial reaction.

"Ok, we have dinner set up in the dining room. If you'll just follow me," Cam's father coolly said.

They all took their seats and Mr. Saunders decided to get to know Maya better. "So, Maya, your mother, here, tells me that you are into music."

"Yeah, I can pretty much pick up on any string instrument but I only really know how to play the cello and piano. The cello being my favorite," she responded smiling.

_ We already have one major thing in common, _Zig thought to himself, smiling.

Cam realized that Zig probably wouldn't be his smooth self tonight. He didn't understand why Zig was so quiet but he figured that he wouldn't want to talk much after such a long day today. "Well, my buddy here plays the guitar and bass!" Cam said gripping Zig's shoulder.

"Oh really? Maybe you can teach me, I'd love to learn!" Maya sweetly replied looking at Zig. He gave her a nervous smile before looking back at his lap. He had never felt so nervous, his palms were sweating, his voice was cracking, he was lost for words; tonight just didn't seem like his night.

"Maya will be attending Degrassi starting Monday so maybe you guys can show her around and get her familiar with the place?" Shirleen said looking at Cam and Zig.

"Yeah, sure. She'll probably have most of her classes with Zig so I'll make sure he helps her out," Cam turned to look at, "right, Zig?"

Zig looked up from his lap. "Yes, of course," he replied eyeing Cam. He was somehow trying to communicate with Cam to not bring so much attention him because of how nervous he was but Cam shrugged it off and continued the conversation.

"So when will you two be officially moving in?" Cam asked as he was eating dinner.

"We were thinking tomorrow," Shirleen replied. "That way we'll have Sunday to settle in and then Maya can just start school on Monday."

"Sounds wonderful, Shirleen!" Mr. Saunders exclaimed. "Zig, here, is like a second son to me so hopefully he'll be able to come over tomorrow and help out."

_Oh dear god, _Zig thought to himself as he looked up to smile at Mr. Saunders. "Yeah, sure, as long as my mom doesn't need any help at the store."

"Store?" Maya asked looking at Zig. He seemed so timid to her, like one of those people who are afraid of talking to others so all she wanted to do was make him feel comfortable.

Of course he was too nervous to reply, himself. "Yes, Zig's mother owns a convenience store down the block. He helps her take care of it," Mr. Saunders quickly replied. "Well it looks like we're done with dinner here. Cam, why don't you and Zig go put the dishes away?"

They both started getting up collecting the dishes when Maya and Zig's hand reached for the same dish, their hands slightly touching. Zig immediately retrieved his hand back. "Um…uh, I have to go. Curfew."

And without waiting for an answer, Zig rushed out of the house. _I should text Cam explaining everything _he thought to himself but he didn't. "Hey, sorry I had to leave and sorry I wasn't much help tonight but you guys seem to get along just fine and my presence there wasn't necessary. I'll see you later." He wanted to mention what he really felt. How Maya basically took the breath from his lungs but he couldn't comprehend what he was feeling. It was all too new of a feeling for him and he was a bit scared. _What am I going to do? _He anxiously thought to himself.

He arrived home after the long walk from the Saunders residence. "Hey ma," he said kissing her cheek before rushing up to his room.

"Hold on one second!" Ms. Novak said before he could make it to his room. "How was the dinner?"

"Yeah and why do you look like a Tomato?" Zig's little brother asked.

"Shut up, Sam," Zig retorted, "It's just because it's cold outside."

Ms. Novak got up from the chair she was sitting in, "Alright, Sam, it's time you got ready for bed."

"Fine," Sam replied, angrily stomping to his room.

"Ok, now tell me," Ms. Novak put her hand on Zig's arm, "why _do _you look like a tomato? What's her name?" she chuckled out.

Zig couldn't help it. His mom seemed to already know what was going on with him when he doesn't even know himself. His best option was just come clean to her. "Um…well, we met Cam's mom and sister," Zig began trying to avoid her second question. "And her name is," Zig he barely spat out her name. He couldn't bring the words to his mouth, everything just choked up on his throat. "Maya. Maya Matlin," he said letting out a heavy sigh. A million butterflies formulated in his stomach, his cheeks now turning a more prominent shade of red.

"Just what I thought," Ms. Novak said smiling and laying a caring hand on Zig's arm. "I've never seen you so flustered like this. Usually you're the one leaving them in this state."

Zig moved from his mom's clutch and began pacing around the room. He didn't understand why he felt this way. He's met pretty girls before, _but no one as pretty as her_, he thought to himself. He started running his hand through his mop-top hair, "I don't know why this happening or how to make it stop. I mean, she's my best friend's sister. Maybe I can avoid her until I get over this feeling."

Ms. Novak smiled to herself as she saw her son pacing back and forth around the room. She never really liked his "ladies' man" personality that he had so, she was happy to see him growing softer and weaker, in a sense. "That won't work, Zigmund," she replied. He hated when she called him that. His name was so weird and seemed like something that people in the 15th century were named. "You need to talk to her, get to know her. But you should talk with Cam first. We both know that he isn't taking this whole situation lightly. She's his sister now and Cam's your best friend, he'll be there for you."

_Cam, I can't talk to him about this!_ He frantically began pondering what it would be like to tell Cam and the solution it would give out. _Maybe Cam wouldn't want to be best friends with me anymore, or maybe she doesn't even like me or maybe…_ Just before he could put more stressful thought on this, Ms. Novak interrupted.

"Well, look, you and Cam have been best friends for a long time. He's going to be considerate and maybe she's not ready either. She's new to this town and new to her family, essentially, so you just need to become friends first. Don't be so nervous around her, I'm sure she's a lovely girl," Ms. Novak replied catching hold of his arm again.

Zig stopped pacing and biting his finger nails to give his mom a sweet smile. "I know." _She is lovely _Zig thought to himself. "Tomorrow they're moving in and Mr. Saunders asked if I could come help out, but if you need me to stay here and help with the store, I'm more than happy to."

Ms. Novak knew what Zig was doing. Even though she gave him the best advice, he was still choosing his own, which was to avoid her. "I'm taking Sam to his soccer game tomorrow so I have Javier and his cousin taking over. You go help your friend out tomorrow and remember the advice I gave," she replied.

His mom saw right through his plan. He knew he couldn't avoid her for long; they were both in the same grade, she was his best friend's sister, there would be too much necessary interaction between the two. He just had to accept that. "Thanks, mom," he said before giving her a kiss on the cheek and heading off into his room. Even though talking to his mom helped, he still spent the rest of his night with thoughts racing through his mind on how he was going to talk to her tomorrow. 


	3. The Move

Today was the day. His mom and long lost sister were moving in today. He got Zig's text last night and although he was pissed, at first, he seemed to feed off of Zig's awkwardness. Cam and Maya bonded in the kitchen while cleaning up after dinner. Maya suggested to him that they might as well jump into the normal-sibling relationship because there really wasn't time for awkwardness. Cam agreed, he didn't know what to expect of her but he was willing to give this a shot. _"Alright, so since I'm your older brother, that means you have to listen to whatever I say," _Cam remembers saying as he noogied her head. He wasn't sure what being a big brother meant, but naturally he felt this need to protect her but bully her at the same time.

"Hey, Zig you're coming to help out today, right? You owe me for bailing on me yesterday," Cam texted him.

Zig had slept through his normal waking time. He couldn't sleep the whole night. He woke up to Cam's text. "I said I was sorry! Anyways, yeah I'm getting ready. Be there in 20," he texted back. He was nowhere emotionally ready to see Maya again but he had to go. His mom knew too much of the situation to let him stay behind. He quickly jumped into the shower and was unconsciously being indecisive on what to wear.

"Dude, hurry up!" Zig's phone buzzed with Cam's text.

He threw on the first few pieces of clothing and ran out the door. He started texting Cam back as he was skateboarding to his house. Cam lived just a block away so the ride wasn't long. "Alright, alright, I'm almost there," Zig started texting. As soon as he looked up from his phone, he noticed he was about to skateboard right into Maya. He stopped immediately, slightly toppling over her.

"I'm so sorry, are you ok?" Zig asked as he steadied Maya. Luckily she didn't fall over but she did trip a bit.

"No, don't worry, I'm fine," Maya replied picking up the piece of paper she dropped. "You know how to skateboard? That's so cool! I've always wanted to learn but I'm a pretty big klutz so I don't know how well I'd do," she said flashing him a sweet smile.

_Her smile's so perfect _Zig thought to himself as he was lost in admiring her luscious pink lips. "Um, oh yeah. I had to go through some bruises here and there but you'll get the hang of it, I'm sure," he nervously replied.

"Well, whenever I get a board, maybe you can teach me?" she asked. "You seem to be a regular Tony Hawk."

Zig got tense thinking of teaching Maya. He was barely able to speak around her, how was he supposed to make sure that she didn't fall off the board, let alone teach her anything? "So, um, what's in the box?" he asked casually trying to change the subject.

_Maybe not _she thought to herself. "It's just some music sheets I wrote. I've been writing music for as long as I can remember," she replied shrugging her shoulders and looking in the box she was holding. She didn't know Zig for very long but the way he dodged her proposal for a skateboarding lesson hurt her a little.

_Why are you being so weird? Just, stop _Zig thought.

"Novak!" Cam yelled as he was jogging out of the house. "Finally! Help me get the rest of the boxes out of the car and put them in Maya's room."

"And no snooping through my stuff, Cam," Maya teasingly stuck her tongue out at him. "It's my private stuff."

"Don't you tell me what to do, I'm older than you, remember?" Cam retorted as he walking to get more boxes.

Maya just ignored him as she went inside to set up her stuff. Zig just couldn't take his eyes off her. Everything about her drew him to her and it was slowly eating him up inside. He snapped out of it once she was out of sight and realized Cam was already heading back inside with a couple more boxes in hand.

"I take that you and Maya are getting along," Zig said taking a box from Cam's arms.

"Yeah, we just figured we'd skip the awkward, stuff you know? I mean if we're going to be living together, I don't see the point of going through that anyways," he replied as he was heading inside the house.

_It's a sign. I just need to stop being so awkward around her and then we can move on, _Zig thought as he followed Cam inside. He set the box on the dining table and went back outside to get more boxes. They continued bringing in boxes until everything was in the house. Zig decided to follow Cam's advice and get over his awkwardness with Maya. "If you need me to stay and help set up, I'm ok with that," Zig told Cam.

"Well, my mom doesn't have many things except clothes but you can go ahead and ask Maya if she needs any help. She should be in her room. It's the 2nd door on the right. I'm gonna go help my mom with whatever she needs help with," Cam said before walking away.

_Alright, here's my second chance. Don't screw it up. Just don't be awkward. For God's sake, she's just a girl after all. A pretty one, though, _Zig thought to himself as he was slowly approaching Maya's room. He lightly knocked on the door frame so as not to startle her.

"So," Zig began speaking as he slowly entered her room, "I'll teach you how to skateboard if you play one of your songs for me." _Good job. See, you can do this! _he internally congratulated himself.

Maya saw him making his way inside her room and was a bit confused considering how she thought he felt about her. However, when he mentioned the skateboarding lesson in exchange for a cello session, her face lit up with a bright smile. "Deal, Mr. Novak!" It was weird to her how quickly she connected with Zig. They barely talked to one another and she knew so little about him but she felt something there, whether it was friendship or more, she knew she wanted him in her life.

_Yes, perfect. _"Um, so, Cam told me to ask if you needed help setting up or anything," Zig casually asked.

"I think I got it from here," Maya replied. _That sounded kinda mean. _"But, thanks for the offer. I'm definitely going to take you up on the skateboarding lessons."

Zig was a bit upset that he had no other excuse to hang around and talk with Maya. He figured she needed some time to herself to adjust to the new living situation. "Alright, well, I'll see you Monday," he said as he was walking out the door. _I can so do this. I got this. _


	4. The Sunday Game

**NOTE: This story doesn't really involve Zaya but I want to focus on Zampbell's friendship with every other chapter, at least. My chapters are starting to get inconsistent in length so next chapter might seem off. Sorry but I can't help if I suck**

* * *

Cam was spending his lazy Sunday, well, lazily. He spent all of Saturday officially moving in his mom and Maya, so he was exhausted. He groggily woke up to check his phone to see what time it was. _1:00. I guess I should get up now, _he thought as he slowly moved away from his bed. After going through his morning routine, he saw a text from Zig.

"Hey, cheesy. Wanna come over and get your butt kicked in some Mortal Kombat?"

"You're on! Except you'll be no match to the powers of Raiden!"

"Haha, we'll just have to wait and see, sensei."

Cam quickly got ready and was about to leave the house when his mom stopped him. "Cam, where you headed to?"

"Yeah, Cam," Mr. Saunders said. "Your mom and sister just moved in, I was thinking we could have a family day today."

_Oh dear god, no. _"Well, uh…" Cam was choked on his words. He didn't mind spending time with his family but it was still a weird and new experience for him. Plus, he had already told Zig he was going to come.

Maya, who happened to be nearby, saw Cam's uneasiness with the thought. "Actually, dad, I wanted to catch up on some school work and practice my cello today, if that's ok?"

"Oh, Harold, let Cam go. We'll always have another day," Shirleen replied smiling at Cam.

"Alright, fine, go. Just be back in time for dinner," Mr. Saunders said pointing an authoritative finger at him.

"Thanks," he said rushing out the door before his dad could change his mind. _If it's going to be like this every time, I'm in for a world of hell. _

He arrived at Zig's house which was just by his mom's store. It was familiar territory to him. The same way that Zig looked at Cam's father as his own, Cam saw Zig's mom as his own. He knocked on the door waiting for Zig to answer.

"Cam!" Ms. Novak exclaimed opening the door. "How are you, dear? How's everything going with the new living situation?"

"Hi, Ms. Novak," he replied as he came inside. "Everything's ok."

"I'm glad to hear that. I can't wait to meet your mom," she said sincerely smiling at him.

"Yeah, I'm sure she'd love to meet you too. Once she's done settling in and everything."

Zig heard the knock on the door. He knew that Cam wasn't too comfortable talking about his new living situation so he tried to get to the door before his mom could. It was too late. He rushed to see that his mom and Cam were already conversing.

"Alright, mom," Zig said coming in to take Cam away. "We got some work to do."

"It was nice seeing you again, Ms. Novak," Cam said before following Zig into his room.

"Did she get to pester you for long or did I just come in at the right time?" Zig said as he started setting up his game system.

"Nah, she wasn't pestering me at all. You can only be so pestered in one day," he sighed. The more he thought about it, the more annoyed he got about his father wanting him to spend the day at home with the family. It's not like his mom and sister were just visiting and that he'd miss the one time opportunity to spend time with them.

"What do you mean?" Zig said handing him the game controller.

"It's nothing. Just my dad insisted that we have a family day today," he replied looking at his feet. "I mean, they just moved in! We'll have a whole lifetime full of family days to come. He just needs to relax," he continued to say as he angrily waved his game controller in the air.

Zig saw it was bothering Cam more than he had let on. "Well, from your dad's point of view, he's excited. Cut him some slack, he got the loves of his life back and he has a daughter now."

Cam didn't think about how his father might've felt. In fact, he felt selfish for not even taking his father's feelings into consideration. "Yeah, you're right. He said to be back by dinner so maybe we'll just go out for later or something," he replied looking at Zig. "And don't worry, you don't have to come this time."

After his encounter with Maya yesterday, Zig actually wouldn't have minded coming. In fact, he wanted to come. But, he knew that they needed their family time so he wasn't going to push. Besides, he had Monday to see her. "Good. Now that that's out of the way," Zig said looking back to the TV screen. "Time to kick your butt, Raiden!"

"In your dreams, Novak," Cam replied looking to the TV screen. "And hey, no cheating this time. The only reason you won last time was because you kept spamming Sub Zero's freeze ball move."

"Don't be a sore loser! It's called technique. But fine, to be fair, I'll play as Kenshi. He's blind so you'll even have the upper advantage!"

"What?! That has nothing to do with anything. A) You're playing him so as long as you got your eyes, he'll be fine and B) Him being blind only enhances his other senses, duh!"

While they were playing, Sam came in. "Ooh, Mortal Kombat! Can I play?"

Zig paused the game. "No, Sam, it's too violent for you."

"Well then can we all play a different game? What about Mario Kart: Double Dash?"

"No because that's a two player game and I'm not going to sit out for you to play with my friend."

Cam turned to look at Zig confused. "But you can play with three people…" he whispered to Zig.

"Shut up, man," he whispered. "He's just going to keep changing his mind and be really annoying. Just let me get rid of him."

"But you always play with Cam," Sam said as he began protesting.

"Look, you can play with us next time. Right now, we want to play Mortal Kombat and you can't."

"Fine but you better let me play next time," he replied as Zig escorted him out of the room. After closing the door he went back to sit by Cam and unpause the game.

"Are having younger siblings that obnoxious?" Cam asked now thinking of how his relationship with Maya would be. Sure he was only a year older and she was a girl but he didn't understand siblings fighting over such insignificant things.

Zig lightly laughed. "Don't worry. They're only annoying if they're more than 4 years younger than you." He couldn't imagine Maya annoying Cam or anyone for that matter. In his mind, he thought of Maya as being perfect.

"Yeah, I guess. She's kinda like you and I suppose you don't annoy me."

"You suppose?" Zig said raising an eyebrow.

"Only when you're about to win," Cam said pressing the buttons faster on the game controller. "Ha, you're almost down, Kenshi."

"No! Kenshi! Don't do this to me," he replied mashing the game controller. "Oh my god. Don't you dare!"

Cam pressed the proper buttons and "Fatality! Take that Kenshi!"

"Noooo!" Zig said prolonging the word until his character was completely electrocuted.

"That's what you get for picking the blind character," Cam said tauntingly.

"Next time, I'm sticking with Sub Zero and despite what you say, I'm gonna do what I want. Kenshi, you're crap, man!" he said yelling at the screen.

Cam started laughing. "Alright, look, one more round and do whatever the hell you want but if I win, you can't deny that I'm just better at Mortal Kombat than you."

"Yeah, yeah." Zig wasn't normally a sore loser but he felt he lost simply because of the restricted guidelines he was given for the first round.

**(4 hours later) **

"Alright, good game," Cam said giving Zig a bro shake. "You may have won that last game of Halo but I'll always kick your butt in Mortal Kombat."

"I think we just need to find a game we both are equally good or bad at and then we can determine the true champion," he replied putting away his game controllers.

"Sure thing, man," he said as he got up to leave his room. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Yeah, see you." Zig replied. _And Maya _ he remembered to himself. The time he spent with Cam made him completely forget the fact that he would see Maya tomorrow. Immediately, he began feeling anxious, nervous and excited.

"By Ms. Novak!" Cam said as he left their house. Going back home, to his family, was actually a nice feeling for him. He still needed to adjust to the idea of it all but he couldn't complain. Everyone was happy and he got his mom back in his life.


	5. The Wallpaper

**Note: Alright here it is. This kind of was inconsistently long. I don't know if my other chapters will be like this. It'll vary, sorry. **

* * *

_Monday _Cam groaned to himself. The weekend had passed by so quickly. With Maya and his mom moving in on Saturday, it was a pretty eventful weekend too. But today was Monday, the day where they had to go to school, explain to his friends and teachers that he and Maya were long-lost siblings and that she would be attending Degrassi now. Cam didn't like to make unnecessary drama but he knew that today would be a pain explaining over and over again his and Maya's story. _Alright here we go_ he thought to himself as he entered the corridor with Maya.

"So where's the main office? I need to get my locker assignment," Maya asked looking around. Walking into the school was overwhelming. Everyone seemed to know their place, there weren't any other freshmen lost or confused because it was already mid-semester. Finding her place in this school was going to be trouble, she felt.

"It's right here," Cam said leading the way to the school's main office. He has only been at Degrassi for a year so he relates to how Maya feels right now. Sure, Cam had the hockey team on his first day, but, in general, the feeling of stepping into a new school in the middle of the year is overwhelming.

Cam and Maya walked into the office . They saw an old lady at the receptionist table. "Um, excuse me?" Maya politely asked getting the lady's attention. "It's my first day here and I didn't get a locker assigned yet."

"Oh, yes. What's your name, dear?" the old lady replied.

"Maya Matlin," she replied taking out a piece of paper with her ID number on it. "And my student ID number is 363758."

"Alrighty, let's see here," the old lady replied typing in her information on her computer. "We have lockers assigned by classmen so you'll be in the freshmen corridor. Your locker number is…28. The lockers are a bit tricky so hopefully you'll be able to get some help with that. And here's your class schedule. Have a wonderful first day!"

"Thank you so much!" Maya replied. She turned back to look at Cam. "Well that lady was awfully nice."

Cam slightly chuckled and said "Yeah, just wait til you meet your guidance counselor, though. Let's just say the receptionist takes all the kindness that the rest of the staff should have."

"Don't scare me! What if I need to see my guidance counselor?" Maya said lightly pushing Cam's shoulder.

"Don't worry, maybe she's just mean to me," Cam tried reassuring her. "Anyways, what's you class schedule like?"

"My first period is," Maya began saying as she took out her school schedule looking over it, "French! Where would that be?"

"I think that's in room 206. That's just by my class so I'll meet you out after first period," he replied walking her to the classroom. Cam knew that Zig had biology right now, on the other side of the school so he wouldn't be able to keep Maya company in her first class. He had just hope Maya would be able to make some friends on her own. "Don't be scared, you'll be fine," he said before walking into his classroom.

Maya took a deep breath before stepping into the classroom. _I hope Zig is in this class. _She looked around for him but didn't find him here. _Well maybe he's late _she reassured herself. She took a seat towards the back next to girl with brunette, curly hair.

"You must be the new girl," a guy behind her said.

She turned around to see the guy smiling at her. "Yeah, that would be me," Maya replied half smiling. _Is he that kid in school who just happens to know everything about everyone? _

"I'm Tristan Milligan," he said putting his hand out. "You're Campbell Saunders' sister, right?"

_Of course he knows who I am. I'm the younger sister of the hockey team star. _"Hi, I'm Maya," she replied shaking his hand back. "Yeah, he's my older brother."

"And this here is my best friend, Tori Santamaria," he replied gesturing towards the brunette girl. She was dressed so fashionably. Maya couldn't help but wonder how much time she spent in the morning getting ready for school. Maya didn't need more than an hour to get ready for school.

"You should hang out with us," Tori said smiling at Maya. "What class do you have after this?"

"Um, let me check," Maya said taking her class schedule out. "It looks like I have music."

"Oh I have music but Tristan doesn't. We'll walk there together!" Tori excitedly replied.

**(After class finished) **

_Well either Zig's not here today or he's just not in this class _Maya thought wondering why she hadn't seen him yet.

"I guess I'll see you guys at break," Tristan said gathering up his stuff and leaving the classroom.

"Alright, see ya," Maya replied waving at him as he left. Maya wasn't exactly timid or anti-social but she was glad to have made friends with practically no effort on her end.

"Music time!" Tori said linking arms with Maya. _Is everyone in this school this friendly? _Maya thought.

As they were walking out of the classroom, they ran into Cam. "Oh, Maya! I take that you won't be needing me from here," he said when he saw her with Tori.

"That's right!" Tori replied for her. "I'll be taking over from here," she replied winking at him before walking off with Maya. Maya turned around and shrugged at Cam as Tori was dragging her to her next class.

Both girls continued to walk to the music classroom. "So, was that guy your brother?" Tori asked. She very well knew that was Campbell Saunders, the hockey team star. When her and Tristan graduated 8th grade, they both agreed that their place in high school would be with the popular crowd. She saw Cam as her way to fame. However, he didn't seem interested in people, generally. He mostly kept to his crowd without mingling so much.

"Yep, that's Cam," Maya replied not really paying much attention to Tori. She was subconsciously looking for Zig, hoping she'd bump into him on her way to class.

They entered the classroom where their music teacher greeted them. "Good morning! You must be my new student, Maya Matlin. Am I correct?" the teacher inquired.

"Um, yeah, that's me," she replied.

"Nice to meet you. I'm your music teacher, Ms. Oh. I take you'll be playing the cello in this class?"

Zig was settling in with all his stuff when he heard the name _Maya Matlin. _His ears immediately perked up and he saw her standing with Ms. Oh and some other girl he couldn't remember the name of. She looked so beautiful. He had to bring his mind back to the fact that he'd have to befriend her since it was her first day.

After Maya was done talking with Ms. Oh, Tori went to go retrieve her trumpet while Maya got the cello when she saw Zig sitting on the classroom's side. "Zig!" Maya exclaimed as she was walking up to him.

_Alright, play it cool _Zig told himself as he saw Maya coming to sit by him. "Hey. How was your first class?"

"It was alright," Maya felt so relieved at seeing Zig in her class. "I made a couple of new friends. You might know them."

Just then, Tori came and sat down by Maya. "Ugh, someone took my trumpet and even though it's first come, first serve, I think it's only fair that we all stick to the instruments we were assigned. Now I have to play the lousy French horn," she said angrily.

"Um," Maya didn't really know how to respond to Tori's frustration. "Zig, this is Tori, I met her in my French class this morning. And Tori, this is Zig."

"Hey," Zig said as he turned back to settling the rest of his stuff. He'd seen Tori before. She was always with this curly, red-haired kid. They were always too egotistical to talk to him, so naturally he didn't talk much with her.

"Class! We have a new student today and an award-winning artist, Maya Matlin," Ms. Oh said as the class began to settle down.

Maya felt a little embarrassed by the attention she was getting but Zig couldn't help but smile at her. The way her cheeks were turning pink, how she was tucking her hair behind her ears, and the way she adjusted her glasses to deal with her nervousness just made Zig's heart flutter.

**(After class finished) **

"So what's your schedule like?" Zig asked as he was packing up his things.

"Well, I have French, Music, P.E., Music, and English today," Maya replied reading over her schedule.

"Oh cool, it seems like we'll be having English together," he replied, smiling at her. _Yes, more time to spend with her _he thought to himself.

"Yay!" Maya rejoiced smiling back at him. Even though she didn't know Zig for long, she found comfort in him.

Tori, Maya, and Zig began walking to their lockers. "So what's your locker number?" Tori asked.

"28," Maya replied.

_Dammit _Zig thought to himself. He had locker number 12. Even though it was just across Maya's, it wasn't next to her.

"You're right in between my locker and Tristan's!" She replied. "Well, I have go to my class early and make up a test I missed, so I'll catch you at lunch," Tori said before walking away from Zig and Maya.

They reached their lockers, respectively. Maya remembered the receptionist telling her that she might have trouble opening her locker. Hoping she wouldn't, she began turning the knob to the numbers given to her. _2…24…16 and open! _Maya thought as she tried budging the door. She tried putting the same numbers twice more until Zig noticed she needed some help.

"Locker trouble?" he said coming to her side.

"Yeah," she replied letting out a slight chuckle. "The receptionist told me I'd encounter some trouble."

"Here, let me see what I can do. Put in your combination again."

"Alright, but no peeking!" Maya said while twirling her index finger gesturing him to turn around.

"Okay, okay," he replied smiling as he began turning around. _Damn, she's so cute. _

"Ok, you can try now," she said stepping aside.

Zig tried opening the locker but it wouldn't dislodge. He then lightly punched the door, hoping to loosen the lock on the door. "And voila!" he exclaimed opening the door for her.

"Thank you so much, Zig!" Maya said clasping her hands together and smiling at him.

"No problem." _I love the way she says my name. _Zig, lost in his thoughts, awkwardly stood there staring at her and smiling.

Maya noticed he was still standing there and began blushing. "Um, so," she tried shaking his attention, "I'll see you in English?"

"Oh, yeah," he said snapping out of his trance, "see you then." _Can't wait _he thought to himself as he began walking away with the biggest smile plastered on his face.

**(Fast forward to lunch)**

Maya walked into the school's cafeteria alone. She had made some acquaintances in her classes without Tori, Tristan and Zig but she didn't develop a relationship where she felt comfortable enough to sit with them.

"Maya!" Tori said waving at her to come over and sit with her and Tristan.

She was relieved to see to some familiar faces. "Hey guys," Maya replied joining to sit with them.

"So how were the rest of your classes? See any cute guys?" Tristan asked. He was the type of person to break the ice.

"Oh, um…" Maya didn't really pay attention to anyone, really. She was just so nervous about catching up with classes and not making a fool of herself on her first day. "Not really. Is there anyone I should keep an eye out for?" She's never had a boyfriend before, nor was she looking to have one, it was just a way for her to keep the conversation going.

"Well, there is this cute guy with chocolate brown eyes and…" Tori elbowed Tristan before he could finish explaining. Even though he goal to be with Cam seemed selfish, she wanted to stay friends with Maya after this. Considering the two hadn't known each other very long, she didn't think it was appropriate to mention whatever she had on Cam to his long lost sister.

Maya saw something going on between Tori and Tristan but quickly wrote it off. She had only just met them after all. "My focus this year isn't boys, it's finding my place in this school," she said trying to change the subject.

_How interesting, _Tori thought to herself, _She's more similar to us than I thought she was. _"That's admirable," she replied sincerely smiling at her.

**(Fast forward to English class) **

Zig saw Maya scuttling with the school map in her hands, to look for the English classroom.

"You know," he began saying, "if you're ever lost, you're supposed to pretend you know where you're going, at least." He was starting to get his smooth personality back but it felt different with Maya. With other girls, his charm immediately won them over and he'd get bored of them and break it off. He wanted to work his charm on her but he was so captivated by her to even see whether it was all working or not.

Maya looked up from her papers to hear that familiar voice. "Don't you know I don't care to pretend to be something I'm not?" She said smiling at up at him. "Besides, wouldn't I only be deluding myself by pretending?"

_Damn, she's deep. _He felt his heart beat a little faster with each word she said. Whatever feelings he had for her, only intensified as they came closer to one another.

They were approaching their English classroom. "Ladies first," Zig said stepping aside to let Maya in. She blushed and tucked her hair behind her left ear. Zig noticed that to be a habit of hers.

Being the smooth person he was, he waited for Maya to pick where they would sit. He normally sat in the back because English was one of those classes he'd fall asleep in. However, having Maya with him, things would be different. She chose a seat at the edge of classroom, towards the back. _Thank you _he thought. Sure, he probably wouldn't be falling asleep, but it would be too uncomfortable for him to be sitting in the front, let alone the center of the classroom. He chose the seat directly behind her.

The English teacher began lecturing. Maya would answer some questions here and there. He couldn't keep his eyes off her. The way she adjusted her glasses or how she tucked her hair behind her ear, it only made him more interested. He was in a trance admiring the way the sunlight was reflecting the golden specks of her hair when she turned around. "Wanna be my partner?" she asked smiling at him.

He missed completely what the teacher had just said. With the way his attention was in class, he might as well have been sleeping. "Um, yeah, sure," he replied snapping back to reality.

"So how does this work exactly? I wrote my poem analysis but I'm not sure if what I wrote was correct or if I even did it right," she said looking over her paper before handing it to him.

_Oh crap. _Zig didn't even do the work, how was he going to explain this to Maya? "Yeah, I didn't really understand the story," he lied. "I'm sure whatever you wrote is what the teacher's looking for."

"Well what did you write?" She asked looking up at him.

He couldn't come up with any excuse. "I, uh," he started stuttering a bit, "didn't do the assignment," he replied looking down in embarrassment.

She started lightly laughing. "Don't worry, I'll help you with the assignment," she said smiling at him. "So the story seems to be about a lady losing touch with reality…"

_Ok pay attention now. You won't be able to get out of this if you don't. _He was so lost in her beauty, he couldn't bring himself to listen to what she was actually saying. He so badly wanted to not be so lost but he couldn't help it, she had him hooked.

"So what do you think?" She said breaking him out of his thoughts again.

_Crap. _He kept battling with himself to pay attention to her words that by the time he won, she was done speaking. "Yeah," he said nervously, "I agree." He shot her the sincerest smile to let her know that although she might've caught on that he wasn't really paying attention, he was hearing her.

*Class bell rings*

"Alright class, your assignments are due next class so please have everything finished by then," the teacher said as the students began hustling out of the class.

After packing her things, Maya turned to look at Zig. "Wanna walk me to my locker?" she asked nervously. "You know, just in case I need help again." She wasn't sure what she was feeling but all she knew was that she liked Zig being around. Something about him made her want to let down her barriers, or whatever she had of them.

He smiled widely at her question. "Yeah, I should come," he said putting his backpack on. "Just in case."

They both began walking towards their lockers when Cam came up. "Hey, guys," Cam said wedging his way in between Zig and Maya.

Zig couldn't help but feel annoyed at the further distance Cam caused between him and Maya. "Hey, cheesy, don't you have practice right now?"

"Yeah, I was just headed there now. I wanted to know how my little sister's first day went," he replied softly nudging Maya.

"It went fine, thanks to Zig here," she replied, shyly smiling at Zig.

Zig could feel his cheeks burn up, his heart beat faster, his pupils dilate as she mentioned his name. She was doing so much to him by doing so little. "Well, anything for my best friend's sister," he replied winking at her; the word girlfriend nearly escaping his lips.

"And that's why he's my best friend," Cam said giving Zig a brotherly squeeze. "You need me to help you with your locker, Maya?" he said turning back to look at her.

She hesitated a bit, looking at Zig then back at Cam before answering. "Um, yeah, sure," she said turning to her locker to open it.

Zig was standing there not really sure if he should leave or stay. Cam noticed him standing awkwardly so he decided to get him out of the situation. "Hey, tomorrow, how about we go to the arcade after school?"

As much as he wanted to stay and bask in Maya's beauty, Zig was appreciative of Cam's segue into letting him leave. "Sounds good, Saunders. See you guys tomorrow. Bye, Maya," he said as he walking away.

"Bye, John's wife," she replied smirking at him.

He simply replied with a look of confusion. Maybe it was too early in the relationship, but he wished Cam invited Maya to come or maybe he could invite Maya himself, without it being too weird. _One day _he thought to himself, his smile growing bigger as he turned to walk away.


	6. The Arcade

**A/N: I literally spewed this story out of my arse. There's some Zaya stuff so it's not completely Zampbell :P**

* * *

*School bell rings* Cam quickly walked out of the classroom to meet up with Zig in front of the school. They had made plans to go to the arcade today after school but it wasn't anything set in stone. He rushed out of the school building to see Zig waiting on the steps.

"Hey, buttweed," he said coming up from behind Zig.

Zig turned around smiling, knowing who it was. There was only one person who had the privilege of calling him that. "Hey, Cheesy. You ready to head to the arcade?"

"Yeah but how are we going to get there?" Neither boy had their license. Cam was working on getting his license but he didn't exactly have a car.

"I don't know," Zig said looking down at the skateboard in his hand. "I usually just board there but we could walk if you want."

Just then Cam saw his mom pull up to the school's curb to pick them up. "Well maybe my mom can drop us off. I'm sure she'll say yes." He walked up to the car to greet his mom and ask about dropping him and Zig off at the arcade. "Hey, mom, is it ok if you drop me and Zig off at the arcade? We'll walk on our way back."

"Yeah, sure, as long as Maya's ok with it," Shirleen replied. "Speaking of, where is she?" Zig and Cam settled their things in the car before realizing Maya would need a ride back as well. Just the mention of Maya made Zig's palm sweaty. "Can one of you go check where she is?"

"I'll go!" Zig immediately responded, jumping out of the car. Not only would it have been awkward to be left alone with Cam's mom but it was Maya and he used any excuse to see her or talk to her.

He walked around the school looking for her. Not paying attention to anything except for a blonde head, he might've angered a few people by accidentally bumping into them. He then spotted her by her locker. She was frustrated trying to pry it open. _She's so cute when she's frustrated _he smiled to himself slowly walking up to her. "Need some help?"

Maya was running a little late today because she had to talk with her teacher after class. She reached her locker hoping it would cooperate with her. Before then, she'd conveniently have someone around to help her open it, whether it was Zig, Cam or Tori. But now, she had to do it on her own. _Work with me, locker. Please, _she thought as she began putting in her locker combination. _Alright, the moment of truth. _She slowly tried twisting the locker door's handle to get it opened but it wouldn't budge. Out of frustration she started rapidly trying to get it to pry open before giving up. She let out an exasperated sigh before she saw a certain dark-haired boy come to her side asking if she needed help. Lifting her head up from her locker she knew all too well who it was. "You'd think I'd have it by now. I don't get how other people deal with this," she replied smiling at him and stepping aside from her locker. He always seemed to pop in at the right times.

Zig lightly punched the door and twisted the handle, opening the locker. "There you go, John," he said smiling back at her. He had been confused the other day when she referred to him as John's wife. After sitting up all night wondering why she called him that, he realized she was referring to the poem she tried so hard to explain to him in English class the other day.

Maya chuckled at him realizing her reference. She loved that her and Zig already had inside jokes without trying. "So aren't you and Cam supposed to be going to the arcade?"

"Yeah," replied snapping out of his admiring her chuckle. "We're actually catching a ride with your mom, if it's ok with you. It's only like 2 minutes away but Cam suggested we'd be dropped off instead of walking there."

Maya shut her locker and put on the lock. She and Zig began walking out of the school to her mom's car. "I'm fine with that. It's not like I have to be home for anything."

_I really want to invite her and I should but Cam would kill me. _He was conflicted with the thought. If he invited her not only would Cam be annoyed with Zig but some of his skate-park friends would make inappropriate comments towards her and both Zig and him wouldn't be able to handle it. As much as he wanted her to come, it was best that he didn't invite her. They reached her mom's car and he opened the door for Maya letting her in the passenger's side of the car.

"Thanks, Zig," she said stepping into the car. "I'm sorry I was late. My stupid Biology teacher wouldn't give me an extension on my assignment so now I have to write a 12 page research paper in 2 days."

_Yeah I definitely shouldn't invite her to come with us. _"That's ok, honey," Shirleen said driving out of the parking lot. "I assume Zig told you that I'm dropping them off at the arcade right now."

"You better be okay with it, Maya," Cam joked before she could respond.

"Well I was okay with it, but not anymore," she playfully replied turning back to stick her tongue out at Cam.

"You don't wanna mess with her, man," Zig said smiling at hers before looking to Cam.

Soon enough they arrived at the arcade. After taking their stuff out of the car's trunk, they headed towards the doors of the arcade. "Make sure you defeat him in every game, Zig!" Maya yelled through the window.

"Just for you, I will!" he yelled back. Cam raised his eyebrow at him and he just shrugged it off opening the arcade's door letting them in. He looked around seeing if he'd spot any of his skater friends. He saw them standing in line for laser tag. "Hey guys, you know Cam," he said gesturing towards Cam.

"Hey," said a short, blond guy. "I'm Zack," he extended his hand, "Nice to meet you."

"Hey, likewise, I'm sure," Cam replied shaking his hand.

They had split into 2 teams of 3 with Zig and Cam being on opposite teams. "You're going down, Saunders!" Zig said putting on the laser tag equipment.

"Only in your dreams, Novak!"

The boys had played about 2 rounds of laser tag before deciding to get something to eat. Cam relatively got along with Zig's friends. After all, a friend of Zig was a friend to him. He and a couple of other guys went to get a few boxes of pizza to bring to their table.

"So what's Cam's story?" a short brunette boy asked Zig.

"What do you mean, Kenny?" He got a bit nervous when Kenny began to speak because although Kenny was fun to hang out with, he was somewhat of a jerk.

"What I mean, idiot, is does he got any siblings?" he asked staring at Zig, knowing how the conversation would go.

"No, he doesn't," he lied hoping Kenny wouldn't catch on. He already knew what Kenny was looking for and he wouldn't let him find that.

"Don't lie to me, man! I saw some blond chick in the car with you guys outside. She's kinda hot."

"Listen, Kenny, she's off limits. Not only is she my best friend's sister but she doesn't need a scumbag like you ruining her life. So do yourself a favor and shut up about her and don't pursue or just leave before I give you a black eye," Zig sternly replied. He had known Kenny for about 3 years and he knew all too well where Kenny's mind was half of the time.

"Alright, chill, dude," he said raising his hands up in defeat. "I won't say anymore."

Just then Cam and the other 2 guys came with 2 boxes of pizza.

"Alright, guys, let's eat!" Cam said setting down the boxes and opening it up.

Everyone was casually talking while eating until Kenny began speaking. He was relatively quiet the whole time and Zig noticed but assumed Kenny was just mad that he couldn't get with another girl. "So, Cam," he said looking to him, "Zig tells me you have a younger sister."

Zig immediately was death staring at Kenny. _Dammit Kenny I thought I told you to keep your mouth shut. _"Kenny," he said with an undertone of threat.

"No, no it's fine, Zig," he said batting away Zig's stares. "I just think we should get to know Cam better since we're all friends now."

Cam noticed Zig getting angry and couldn't help but feel lost at how to respond to Kenny. "Um, yeah, I have a younger sister," he replied nervously.

"Well, can you set a brother up?" Kenny asked blatantly.

"What did you just say?" Cam angrily asked. "That's my little sister!" he said pounding his fists on the table and standing up.

Zig got up and went to cool Cam down. "Kenny, I told you to shut up about it but you just wouldn't listen." He turned to Cam and said "come one, let's go. Don't even give a crap about him."

Zig and Cam began walking away when Kenny mumbled "whatever. It's not like she would put out anyways."

And the best of Zig's anger got a hold of him and he turned around and punched Kenny in the eye. "Shut the hell up! You'll never get anything from anyone cause you're a piece of trash," he yelled. Just then security came out and escorted the group of boys out of the arcade.

"Alright, you guys need to leave," said a big buff man, grabbing Zig and Kenny's arms.

Once they were outside the building, everyone tried holding off Zig from confronting Kenny, again. Zig jerked his arm away from the hold one of the boys had and went walking his way home with Cam.

"What the hell is wrong with Kenny?" Cam asked.

"I don't know," he replied putting his hand in his pocket. "We only invite him because he pays for everything."

"Yeah, I guess that's a good excuse to be friends with someone. But if you ever invite me anywhere with you buddies, he better not be there."

"Trust me, Kenny better stay away. I'm just glad he doesn't go to Degrassi. No amount of money can make up for he said," he sincerely replied.

"If any guy ever tries to hit on Maya, they're gonna have to get through me," Cam replied sternly.

Zig felt a little afraid of what Cam said. Sure, he wasn't exactly going to ask Maya out, but if ever did, his relationship with Cam would be ruined. He didn't know Maya for long but picking between her and Cam was already clouding his mind with fretfulness. Before he could say anything, they arrived at Cam's house.

"Alright, well, today was fun if it weren't for stupid Kenny. I'll see you later," Cam said walking into his house.

"Yeah, see ya," he replied getting on his skateboard. All those anxious feelings that he felt before immediately came rushing back to his head. As much as he felt like he was into Maya, his relationship with Cam would come first. They were best friends for too long for it to be thrown over a girl. Even if the girl was as perfect as Maya. The best thing he felt like he could do was avoid Maya until the feelings went away. _Music and English is gonna be hell tomorrow. _


	7. The Avoidance

**A/N: It's progressively getting worse :P**

* * *

Zig arrived at school the next day with every intention of avoiding Maya. Luckily he only had 2 classes with her but it would still be difficult. He arrived at music class and saw she wasn't there yet. Thankfully, he didn't pass by her in the halls or at his locker. He decided to change his seat, hoping to sit by someone that he could befriend to replace Maya. He saw a guy that he remembered conversing with before. _Alright, time to make this guy my best friend. _"Hey, you're Mike, right?" he said taking the empty seat next to him. "I think you're in my biology class."

"Oh yeah, and you're Zig," the boy responded looking up from his instrument.

They began settling when Zig noticed Maya walk in the classroom. _Ok, keep cool. _He accidentally made brief eye contact with her. It wasn't enough for her to say hello but enough for her to notice that he saw her. _Oh crap _he quickly looked away. Maya walked in and saw Zig seeing in a different spot. He was chatting with a guy sitting next to him. She didn't think much of it and she was about to approach him when Tori walked in.

"Hey bestie!" Tori beamed setting her stuff down on the chair where they had sat last class.

_I guess I'll see him in English _Maya thought taking a seat next to Tori.

**(After class finished)**

Maya finished packing her things and was going to go say hi to Zig but noticed he was already gone. _Funny, he usually takes a while to pack his things. _

"Maya! Walk with me to my locker?" Tori said linking arms with her. And the two went off to their lockers, making Maya forget about wanting to talk to him but not getting the chance.

**(Lunch time)**

Zig saw Maya sitting alone at the cafeteria table that she usually sat at. He had to fight every urge in his being to sit with her. He stood there contemplating what to do until Cam called him over.

"Hey, Zig! Come sit," he said patting the seat next to him. Zig took one last glance at Maya before sitting next to Cam. "What's up with you? You look conflicted."

"Oh it's nothing," Zig lied raking a hand through his hair and looking down. Cam knew something was wrong but he wasn't one to push others to talk if they didn't want to. Sometimes, people just need their space. Zig slightly looked back up and saw that she was joined by a couple of other people he didn't recognize and felt a little relieved that she was no longer sitting alone.

**(English class)**

Zig walked into class more nervous than ever. He got off easy with music class because Tori was there to be with Maya. English, however, would be tricky. He saw her already sitting in their usual seats. She caught his eye and waved for him to come over before he could look away. He gave her a half-hearted smile and quickly looked away before taking a seat next to one of his skate-park buddies, Damon.

"Hey, man, you're sitting on the dark side of the classroom again?"

''Uh, yeah, I need to catch up on some sleep."

Maya saw Zig deliberately taking another seat and she felt hurt. _Why has he been avoiding me? I thought things were going well with us. _She resolved to confront him after class finished. Zig put on his hood and set his head down on his desk hoping he could avoid any awkwardness that would ensue with her.

*School bell rings*

"Make sure you've turned in your assignments because I will not be accepting anything late," the teacher said before dismissing his students.

Zig quickly gathered his stuff up and got up to leave but then he turned around and there she was, waiting for him.

"Hey! We haven't talked all day," she said smiling at him.

He stared at her for bit before responding. "Oh, um, yeah" he began nervously responding. "I've just been…preoccupied." And before she could respond he started walking out of the classroom as quickly as he could. He couldn't make eye contact with her without thinking of wanting to kiss her. The messiest thing he could possibly do and it was on his mind all the time. He knew he needed to be extra careful around her.

Maya saw Zig leave so quickly and, again, she felt her heart break a little. She didn't understand why he had such an influence on her feelings but the way he was treating her right now was upsetting. She walked out of the building to see Cam sitting on the steps.

"Hey, you ready to go?" he said getting up to walk to their car.

"Yeah," she replied, looking down.

Obviously, Cam sensed something wrong. "Is everything ok?"

Maya forced herself to smile and looked at him and said "Yeah, everything's fine."

They both settled into the car. Cam and Shirleen noticed Maya was quiet the whole ride home. _Something's definitely up _Cam thought to himself. They arrived home and Maya went straight to her bed to lie down. Cam opened the door while lightly knocking. "So what's wrong? Really," he said taking a seat at her desk.

Maya sat up and sighed. "Nothing really…I don't know," she replied looking down at her hands. She really didn't know how to explain what she was feeling or why but she definitely didn't want to say anything to Cam. Not because he would say something to Zig but because, essentially, it was going to show through whether he tried or not. "I guess, it's just finding my place in this school. I know it'll take time but still…"

"I get it, Maya. It's your first week of school and it's tough but don't worry, you'll get there. In the meantime, you have your friends, don't you?"

_Yeah that's the problem, I don't have all my friends. _"You're right, I do. Thanks," she said giving him a half-hearted smile.

"Sure thing, sis," he said, shooting a smile back in her direction before leaving her room.

After he closed the door, Maya went back to lying down, contemplating what went down today and how to get over it. _Maybe he was just being nice to me because I'm his best friend's sister and now he feels like he doesn't need to talk to me since I found some friends. _Negative thoughts were swirling her mind and she couldn't get them out. Suddenly, with the loss of one friend, her demeanor changed.


	8. The Spy Game

**A/N: Sorry I know this is late but I'm only going to write when I have inspiration. Rest assured, I will not abandon this story. :)**

* * *

It had been a few weeks since Zig decided to start avoiding Maya. The first few days were difficult and awkward because Maya would try to approach him but after a while she stopped. He took it hard but he knew that his friendship with Cam was far too important. What had made the first week especially hard was going to Cam's house. She was always around or nearby where he could see her. Although they weren't talking, his attention was always on her and Cam had to snap him out of it every so often. Even though he was used to avoiding her, the pain was still so fresh. Today was another typical hangout with Cam in the park and he developed ways of hiding the fact that he missed being friends with Maya.

"Hey, man, listen," Cam said throwing the football to Zig. "I need some girl advice."

Zig caught barely caught the ball, being stunned by Cam's question. "Um, well it's not like I have much experience to advise," Zig said shaking his head. Although he was a flirt and he had been with girls, he never felt like he could go too far.

"No, not that kind of girl advice. Just…girls in general," he replied catching the football in his hands.

"What is it, man?" Zig said sounding concerned. He knew Cam never really cared for having a girlfriend. It's not like he couldn't ever get one but he just didn't seem to care.

"Well Maya's been acting weird lately."

The ball went flying past Zig and he went to go retrieve it as it was fumbling around. _Maya? Why would he think she's acting weird? _"Weird? Why would you say that?" he said throwing the ball back to Cam.

"I don't know, man. A couple of weeks ago she just stopped talking so much and she didn't seem like herself but now she's the complete opposite. Her friend, Tori, is always over."

"So what's the weird part? Everything seems fine," Zig replied confused on why Cam was getting so tense on something so insignificant.

"Well it's not that. I think she has a boyfriend."

Zig's heart dropped and again the ball went flying past him. "You really need to work on your catching skills, Novak!" Cam yelled to him while Zig went to get the ball.

_Maya's moved on_. Zig's mind kept racing with thoughts that Maya might be happy with someone that wasn't him. "Um," Zig began awkwardly speaking. "What makes you think she has a boyfriend?"

"I know if she ever had one, she'd hide him from me. Plus, lately, her and my mom have been so giddy until I walk in the room. I just need to find out and you're gonna help me," Cam said walking up to Zig pointing at him. As if he could've mistaken who Cam was referring to.

_Please, no. _"I, uh, don't think I should get involved. It's not really my place," he replied looking down at his feet. It was already hurting him that he had to avoid Maya but to spy on her to see if she's dating someone or not was only going to be more painful.

"Look, I get that you don't wanna spy on her to respect her privacy or whatever but you and I both know that a lot of guys in this school are scumbags and since she's your best friend's sister, it's your job to help me protect her."

Zig realized that Cam's argument was flawed but he decided to go along anyways because there really wasn't anyway for him out of it. "Fine, but I'm only helping to a certain extent. I am not gonna talk to her and see what's up," he said firmly. Talking to her again would only make things messier for him.

"Alright, fine. Girls don't talk to guys about stuff like that anyways, right?"

**(Later that day)**

Zig was at his mom's convenience store, restocking some items when he got a text from Cam.

"Tomorrow at 8, we're going to Little Miss Steaks."

He already knew why but just to confirm whether he should try to back out or not he asked. "Why?"

"Because, Maya's apparently hanging out with Tori and the other guy she hangs out with tomorrow."

"Dude, you're just being paranoid now. So what if she's hanging out with them?" He knew that Cam felt like it was a date so he tried to get them both out of the situation.

"No. I know Maya and she wouldn't be making it such a big deal if she was just hanging out with them."

As much as Zig wanted to back out, he knew Cam was going to go with or without him. It'd be better if Zig went, despite how heartbroken he'd be, because Cam could easily lose it ruining his sibling relationship with Maya. "Alright, fine, but if it really is just her hanging out with Tori and the ginger guy, then you need to back off a bit. Being so paranoid will only ruin you."

"Ok, ok, Dr. Phil. I got this. See you tomorrow."

**(The next day, around 6)**

Ever since Zig had been avoiding Maya, she was hurt by it. She talked to Tori who suggested that Maya move on and forget about him. She suggested setting her up with someone but Maya refused. After a week or so of Tori's pestering, she finally gave in. _Don't tell Cam, though _Maya recalls Tori telling her. Maya and Cam were regular siblings but she didn't understand what that would mean for her personal life. Based on her "research," Tori knew all about Cam and she figured he wouldn't be too happy about his little sister going on a date, so she told Maya to keep it a secret.

Tori arrived at the Saunders residence. She had heard so much about it because of how beautiful it was. Cam wasn't exactly loaded, but his dad well off enough to have an extravagant house. She arrived at the door, hoping Cam would answer. Through her quest of using him to gain popularity, she found herself developing a small crush on him.

"Hey! Finally you're here, I'm so nervous!" Maya said grabbing Tori's arm to come inside.

"Don't be nervous. Gabe is actually a nice guy," Tori replied trying to calm her nerves. To be honest, Tori didn't know Gabe well but from the few times she talked to him in Biology, he seemed decent.

"I'm not nervous about that, I'm nervous about Cam finding out. My mom and I have been pretty strategic hiding the fact that I'm going out on a date but he's been questioning it. Which is why I asked you to tag along. You know, to throw Cam off our scent."

"I knew he'd be the over-protective brother-type," Tori replied smirking at Maya. "Don't worry, I'll be by your side."

Maya and Tori finished getting ready and her mom dropped them off at the restaurant. "Cam went to go hang out with Zig so you guys should be in the clear tonight," Shirleen replied before driving off. Shirleen was following her mom instincts and knew Cam wouldn't be too happy with Maya going on a date.

Even though Zig had been watching Maya, he started taking more notice of her. Cam was right, she had been acting extra cheery lately and he didn't like it. They arrived early at the restaurant and strategically took a table towards the back.

"Alright so if it turns out that it really is just Maya and Tori hanging out, can we go somewhere else? Like bowling or something?" Zig said, annoyed that he had to be there.

"Yeah, quit your whining. I'm telling you I'm right about this," Cam said keeping a lookout for Maya. Then he saw them walk in. He put up the menu to cover his face. Peeking from behind the menu he noticed Maya was a little more dressed up than Tori was. "Look, she's way too dressed up to be just hanging out with Tori."

Zig turned around saw Maya. She looked absolutely stunning. His eyes were glued on her. Whatever Cam was saying went right over him. "She looks beautiful," he whispered to himself.

"What did you say?" Cam asked sincerely oblivious to what Zig said.

"Oh, uh, see I was right and you were wrong, let's go," Zig said quickly getting up from the table before Cam pulled him back to his seat.

"No, man, 15 more minutes, I promise, and then we can go."

Maya and Tori walked in and sat at a table. Shirleen has mentioned that Cam went out somewhere with Zig. _He wouldn't, would he? _Maya thought looking around to see if Cam or Gabe was there. Spotting neither of them, she relaxed a bit. "So, where's Gabe?"

"I don't know," Tori said looking around. "It looks like Cam isn't here. But just in case, I'll wait with you til Gabe arrives."

Zig counted down the 15 minutes. He knew exactly what was going on, just by the look of things and he didn't want to be there to witness it. "Alright, it's been 15 minutes. Time for pizza and bowling!"he said getting up from their table.

Cam admitted defeat and got up along with Zig. "Wait," Cam stood still. "Who's that guy?" he said pointing to a short blond guy approaching Tori and Maya. "Another 15 minutes and if it's just the three of them then we can go."

Zig was sick of this and he knew what it was going to be. "No, man, you said 15 minutes. You promised!" he said grabbing Cam's arm to lead them out of the restaurant. He started leading their way out when he turned around to see if Cam was still there. He saw him making his way to Maya and Tori's table. _Oh crap. _Zig quickly rushed to stop Cam but it was too late. He was already pestering them for questions.

"Who is this guy?" Cam angrily questioned Maya. Zig quickly came and grabbed Cam to back him off but Cam broke off from his grip. "Tell me now!" he practically yelled.

"He's, he's a friend of mine," Tori nervously said. She had never seen Cam so furious. "We were all just hanging out."

Maya was looking down the whole time. She couldn't lie to Cam and to make things more awkward, Zig was there to witness it all. He noticed Maya avoiding eye contact and even though he felt his heart being smashed, he knew that he needed to help her out by distracting Cam.

"If you were just hanging out, then why are you dressed so slutty, Maya?" Even as Cam said the words, he knew he was going to regret it later. He was just so pissed that Maya would hide something like this from him, he couldn't help but feel angry.

Maya started crying into Tori's shoulder and Zig knew he went too far. He again caught a tighter grip of Cam, forcing him to leave the restaurant before he made a scene. "What the hell, man?! Why would say that? You need to go apologize to her," he said as Cam broke off from his grip and stormed out into the parking lot.

"She's the one who needs to apologize! How dare she lie to me? I'm her older brother!"

Cam was hysterical and Zig knew he should just let Cam have his feelings out but it still wouldn't justify what he said to Maya. "Do you see why she would have to lie to you? She should be able to be with someone with you ruining things for her," he said poking Cam's chest. He needed to be harsh with Cam on this because otherwise the message wouldn't get through.

"But you and I both know the guys in this school are jackasses. I'm only trying to protect her."

"And you can still do that. You don't have to be out of her relationship life, completely. Just make sure you put that guy in his place without hurting Maya. You may have been trying to protect her tonight but she was the only person who was hurt and it was because of you."

Cam calmed down a bit. Zig was right, he was trying to protect her but he ended up hurting her. "Well, should I go back inside and apologize? What should I do?"

Zig was relieved to see that Cam was cooling his nerves. "Just leave her be. Apologize later when she's done with her date. For now, let's go and have your butt kicked in a game of bowling," he said walking in the direction of the bowling alley.

"Oh you're on!" Cam said smiling and catching up with Zig. "And, thanks, by the way. Maya's really lucky to have you in her life now."

Although the words were sweet, it stung him. _But I don't have her in my life _he thought to himself. He would always care for Maya and make sure she was ok but she'd never know how much he did for her or how much he liked her.


End file.
